An analysis of the discourses on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in US special education textbooks, with implications for inclusive education

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to examine the discourses on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) found in textbooks used in pre-service special education programmes in the USA. Five textbooks are examined with the intent of discovering how ADHD is portrayed to future teachers. A discourse analysis framework is utilised, revealing five categories that structure the discourses of textbooks: definition, causes, symptoms, characteristics, and treatment. Examples of each are provided, followed by a critical analysis of the underlying meanings and assumptions. The analysis reveals an overwhelmingly medicalised narrative in which children diagnosed with ADHD are presented as inherently dysfunctional and devoid of positive characteristics. Two implications of this analysis are suggested: (1) teachers are likely to limit their pedagogical responses to these children in favour of relying upon medical knowledge and (2) teachers are apt to construct policy that is inconsistent with the goal of inclusive education to embrace diversity in the classroom. Lastly, the importance of exposing pre-service teachers to an alternative discourse on ADHD is discussed.

Keywords:

• attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
• textbooks
• special education
• teacher education
• inclusive education

Notes on contributor

Justin E. Freedman is a doctoral student in the Special Education and Disability Studies programs at Syracuse University. He is a former high-school special education teacher. His research focuses on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and teacher education in special education.

Notes

1. In their review of the most recent diagnostic guidelines in the APA's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Sibley et al. (2013) identify several changes that they anticipate will lead to an increase in ADHD diagnoses in the USA: (1) the amount of possible symptoms that are said to indicate the presence of the disorder increased, while the minimum symptom threshold (six) remained the same, (2) the minimum age in which symptoms must be present was raised from 7 to 12, allowing individuals who show initial symptoms later to receive a diagnosis, and (3) the requirement that doctors rule out the presence of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) before making a diagnosis of ADHD was removed, increasing the possibility that individuals diagnosed with ASD will now be diagnosed with comorbid ADHD.

2. Several edited volumes provide insights into the various critical perspectives on ADHD (Stead, Lloyd, and Cohen 2006; Timimi and Leo 2009; Graham 2010a). For a philosophical analysis of the debate over ADHD, see Tait (2005). See also the special issue on ADHD and schooling from the International Journal of Inclusive Education, edited by Graham (2008).